Debates of June 20th, 2005

Child Poverty

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Social Development.

[Ken Dryden, Liberal, Minister of Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, there are a few provinces that are clawing back. The great majority now are not. It is certainly something that bears close watching.

As the hon. member knows, there is that much more money that is going into the national child benefit. It will be up to over $10 billion in 2007. There has been an evaluation recently that shows it is having an impact. At the end of June we will be having federal, provincial and territorial meetings. We are going to see what has happened with the NCB since 1998--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Lethbridge.

Agriculture

[Rick Casson, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in an unprecedented decision, Conservative members of Parliament and senators have been given the right to represent Canadians in a foreign court.

Conservative Party members are being granted the right to present a brief supporting the Canadian cattle industry in the U.S. district court in Billings, Montana on July 27. The official opposition will be in the courtroom fighting for Canadians but the government will not.

Why is the government so incompetent that it has been left to the official opposition to stand up and fight for our ranchers and farmers?

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to have to disappoint the hon. member, but whereas he may be waiting for July 27 to go into court, Canada will be represented on July 13 at the appeals court which is being heard first.

We want the temporary injunction overturned. We filed an amicus brief and that was accepted. While those members may have been here cackling with one another and throwing insults across the aisle, I was in Washington on Friday working with the USDA to in fact get the border open.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I think the minister needs to figure out which hearing is for which because on July 27 the security of Canada's beef safety system will be on trial in a Montana court. Thankfully, Conservative Party parliamentarians will have a voice at that hearing. Shamefully the Liberal government will not.

Could the Minister of Agriculture please explain to Canadian cattle and livestock producers why he has left it to the official opposition to do the government's job of defending Canada's farmers in international courts?

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat again that we have standing at the appeals court and the issue at hand is to have the temporary injunction quashed. We have been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to have that take place.

We have also engaged with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on an ongoing basis to bring into force its particular rule that would see the re-establishment of trade in live animals between our two countries. We have been committed to doing that for the last two years. We have seen more than $2 billion invested to support our industry and we will continue to do that in the weeks ahead.

Veterans Affairs

[Greg Thompson, Conservative, St. Croix—Belleisle, NB]

Mr. Speaker, in typical Liberal fashion, the government speaks out of both sides of its mouth on agent orange. On the one hand it blames other jurisdictions, other governments and agencies. On top of this, it suggests more study and more consultation, in the meantime quietly compensating at least two victims.

Is the government now indicating that due diligence was not followed in these cases? Where does this leave the 300 or more outstanding claims presently on the minister's desk, in addition to the civilian cases?

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it is never easy to correct the errors of history, but this is a government that has always put the interests of veterans first. There was nothing quiet about delivering pensions for three veterans who were affected by agent orange. We will deliver for Canadians who are suffering from decisions of the past, and that is a record we will maintain.

[Greg Thompson, Conservative, St. Croix—Belleisle, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the government has known about this file since 1981 and has done nothing. It has been in power, I want to remind members, for 12 years. We want action, not platitudes.

This minister is the master of platitudes. We want action on this file. Never once has she ever mentioned the word civilian either, in addition to the military files out there. When is she going to do something?

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can expect that this government will treat our veterans fairly and with proper due diligence. We will take the time necessary to review the cases so that we can be accurate and fair and not a minute longer.

Industry

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Technology Partnerships Canada has unfortunately been a victim of such embezzlement that the government has had to launch an investigation into payments to lobbyists of companies that benefited from this program.

Does the Minister of Industry promise to make public the arrangements made with the four companies originally investigated?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, for any company that is a recipient of a Technology Partnerships contribution, where there is an error that has been made, it has to be released publicly. On the balance of the audit, we will make a summary report public as soon as we have it available.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, these four cases raised so many questions that the minister had to launch a much broader investigation into the 47 companies that received $490 million from the Technology Partnerships Canada program.

Does the minister promise to make the results of this broader investigation public as soon as possible?

[David Emerson, Liberal, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will be making a summary report public. This was part of a routine audit, which we are undertaking all the time. I would think the hon. member should be congratulating Industry Canada people for the diligence they apply in managing these programs and protecting taxpayers' money.

Information Commissioner

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week a motion from the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics was overwhelmingly supported by a vote held in this House, 277 to 2 in favour of extending Information Commissioner John Reid's term by one year.

Can the government advise this House if Commissioner Reid's term has been extended on the order of this House, and if not, why not?

[Reg Alcock, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that we pay attention to the House orders. I am looking carefully at it and we will come forward with an OIC when necessary.

National Defence

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, both the rank and file soldiers and now a parliamentary committee have rejected the government's hand-picked military ombudsman. The minister could have known that someone who acted as legal counsel to the defence officials who sought to limit the powers of the ombudsman would be rejected by the soldiers. They fear retaliation and reprisals for speaking out.

Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of having an independent watchdog for the military?

[Bill Graham, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, at the moment as the position stands, a highly skilled person who had extensive experience in the government and was capable of representing our men and women with a great deal of integrity was put before the committee and was rejected by a vote of two of the opposition parties. I do not think the hon. member can lift that up into being a rejection by our armed forces.

What our armed forces want is somebody who is capable, competent and professional and who will act in their interests. I believe that Mr. Côté has those capacities and I am willing to continue discussing that with the committee, but let us not say that our armed forces have rejected it. This was a political decision that two parties--

Haiti

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is much concern about the political, social and economic situation in Haiti. The future of our Haitian friends is in their own hands, of course, but it also depends on the efforts of the international community.

Canada hosted the Montreal International Conference on Haiti on June 16 and 17. Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us the outcome of this conference?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, people should know that Canada is determined to promote democracy in Haiti, and nothing will stop us.

This conference in Montreal was an opportunity to review the progress and the problems one year after the mobilization of the international community. The Haitian government has identified its priorities in terms of security, energy, social gains and rapid job creation. We have mobilized $40 million for these immediate priorities of the Haitian government in these areas.

A proposal was made to the government to give Elections Canada an international mission to monitor Haitian elections—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley.

Agriculture

[Bill Casey, Conservative, North Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the agriculture science strategy received under access to information last week says at eight different places that when Nappan and Kentville experimental farms close, research will be moved to other provinces.

Why did the President of the Treasury Board tell the House on Friday that there would be no diminishing of research in Nova Scotia when the plan says that both farms in Nova Scotia are going to close?

[Andy Mitchell, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, there is no plan to close the Kentville station. As minister, I receive recommendations all the time from various sources on actions that I may want to take. We decided not to take that action.

[Bill Casey, Conservative, North Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is not a memo, it is not a notice and it is not a recommendation, because recommendation number one for Nova Scotia is to close Nappan and step two is to close Kentville.

The Liberals have already announced they are closing Nappan. They cannot say it is a memo and they are not paying any attention to it.

Another answer we always get is that they say they want to put money into research and not into facilities, but this document says they are putting $232 million into new buildings across the country. In Nova Scotia, they are just closing both farms.